Here's a tool that will making routing out hinge mortises easier and more precise than doing it by hand. It's a router hinge template, and it can be adjusted to the size of your door. Drive in the pins that hold the template in position, then rout each mortise to the depth your hinges need. Remove thetemplate and position your hinges in the mortise. Use a center punchto make the pilot holes for your screws. A router hinge template is especially useful when you've got a lot of doors to hang.

Bob watches Tim Berky cut the mortises for the hinges on the solid-core, cherry-veneer door from Woodport. Berky uses a Hinge Mate from Precision Tools to guide his cuts for the three hinge mortises on the door. The oil-rubbed bronze butt hinges from the House of Antique Hardware will match the decor, handles, knobs, and pulls throughout the remodeled space. Berky then uses a jig to cut the mortises on the jamb, checks for plumb, and attaches the hinges and doors.

To hang heavy cabinet doors and to conceal the hardware, use mortised European-style hinges. Use a 35 mm drill bit and set your drill press to half inch depths. Place the holes a quarter inch from the door's edge and be careful, when you set the depth, not to drill through the door. Attach the hinge to the mortise, and then attach the door to the cabinet box. When the cabinets are installed, the hinges will be completely invisible.

A chisel is one of the most useful tools in the workshop; but it's important to know how to use them. For example, after routing out a mortise for a door hinge, use the flat side of the chisel for cutting or neatening the edges of your work, and the beveled side for cleaning up or leveling a surface without taking off too much at a time.

…running in the same direction because it's imperative that your new door face the same direction as your old door. The hinge mortises must be cut on the correct side and face of the door to achieve this. Align the doors perfectly to see if the new one will…

…parallel cuts to make the hinge mortise, working until it is smooth and clean. Step 6: Screw in the hinge plates Once the mortises have been cut, use the hinge leaf as a guide to drill pilot holes for the hinge screws. Set the screws in place. Use…

…Bob wraps with the installation of Woodport historically accurate, five-panel doors. The Thorough Construction crew cuts mortises for the brass hinges, builds a jamb, installs it and sets it to level using shims, then trims the door before hanging it…